Looking for a man in his 30s who saved a cardiac arrest patient on the way to work and disappeared

A man in his 60s collapses from angina in an alley
Nurse followed by a man in his 30s continues CPR

"I really want to express my gratitude."

A man in his 60s who lost consciousness and collapsed in an alley in Dong-gu, Ulsan, is looking for the man who saved his life.

According to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters on the 28th, on September 18 at 7:42 a.m., Kim (61), the owner of a laundry near a road in Jeonhadong, Dong-gu, Ulsan, collapsed unconscious on the street.

A video capturing the scene at the time shows a white sports utility vehicle (SUV) passing by Mr. Kim, who had collapsed, noticing him and quickly pulling over to the shoulder. The driver approached the fallen Mr. Kim and immediately called 119. Until the paramedics arrived, he stayed by Mr. Kim's side, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under the guidance of the emergency responders.
[Photo by Ulsan Fire Department]

Several passersby glanced at him with concern but soon hurried away as if busy. At that moment, the person who saved Kim was a citizen who did not ignore him.

In the video footage of the scene, a white sports utility vehicle (SUV) passes by Kim, notices him, and quickly pulls over to the roadside.

The driver approached the collapsed Kim and immediately called 119. Until the ambulance arrived, he stayed by Kim’s side, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under the guidance of the emergency responders.

Following Kim, a nurse working in the intensive care unit of a large hospital nearby ran over and promptly administered CPR. Another man passing by took over the baton and continuously pressed Kim’s chest strongly several times for about three minutes until the ambulance arrived.

The driver approached Mr. Kim, who had collapsed, and immediately called 119. Until the paramedics arrived, he stayed by Mr. Kim's side, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under the guidance of the emergency responders.
[Photo by Ulsan Fire Department]

Kim was then transported to a nearby hospital by the emergency medical team and regained consciousness only after five days. The cause of his collapse, despite being healthy with no prior illnesses, was variant angina.

Kim was discharged on the 3rd of last month and is currently recuperating at home while receiving outpatient treatment. Having recovered, Kim, though late, wants to express his gratitude and has set out to find the man who saved his life.

A fire official stated, "So far, the personal details such as name and address have not been identified." The man is estimated to be in his 30s and was wearing a gray T-shirt and carrying a backpack at the time.

The Increasingly Rare 'Good Samaritan'

In France, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Israel, Australia, and some provinces of Canada, to prevent such situations, the "Good Samaritan Law" punishes by law those who do not rescue people in danger despite no special threat.
[Photo by Pixabay]

Meanwhile, although there were citizens like the driver who actively helped Kim, there were also those who ignored him.

Experts explain such behavior of ignoring urgent situations like Kim’s as the "bystander effect." The bystander effect is a psychological term describing the phenomenon where the more people are around, the less likely someone is to help a person in distress.

The more people who see a collapsed victim, the more they think, "Someone else will help," and thus do not step forward, or they observe others not helping and mistakenly judge the situation as not serious.

Additionally, there is a psychological factor of avoiding unnecessary costs or harm by intervening. Helping someone or reporting an incident may require going to the police station to testify as a witness or undergoing further investigation, which can result in unexpected time and expenses.

Also, if reporting a crime scene, there is a fear that the perpetrator might retaliate against witnesses or reporters, leading to avoidance of active reporting or assistance.

In economics, this choice is sometimes explained as "rational ignorance." Rational ignorance means that when the effort and cost required outweigh the personal benefits and gains, individuals choose to ignore the situation they witnessed.

In countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Israel, Australia, and some provinces of Canada, to prevent such situations, the "Good Samaritan Law" punishes those who do not rescue people in danger without special threats.

However, South Korean law does not have a "Good Samaritan Law," so ignoring situations requiring urgent help does not result in punishment. Consequently, some voices are calling for the implementation of the "Good Samaritan Law."

However, applying this law would restrict individual freedom and blur the boundary between law and morality, forcing morality through law, which is why debates regarding the "Good Samaritan Law" continue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.